Hurricane Iota (2020)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · November 12–18, 2020

Peak wind
155 mph
250 km/h · Nov 16
Peak category
Cat 4
Saffir–Simpson
Lowest pressure
917 mb
Landfalls
1
Nicaragua
Lifetime
6.0 d
Nov 12 – Nov 18
Distance
1,295 mi
2,083 km
ACE
12.3
storm energy

TD TS Cat 1 2 3 4 5 · dashed = post-tropical / remnant low. During the replay the shaded rings show the storm’s wind field as analysed by NHC — 39+, 58+ and 74+ mph winds, quadrant by quadrant. Click any point or table row to jump there.

01 · The story

What happened with Iota

Hurricane Iota (2020) was a Category 4 hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season. It formed on November 12, 2020, 188 mi S of Santa Cruz de Barahona, Dominican Republic, reached its peak of 155 mph (250 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 917 mb on November 16, 2020, and made landfall 31 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua on November 17, 2020 as a Category 4 hurricane (144 mph). It rapidly intensified by 74 mph in 24 hours (to 155 mph on November 16, 2020). The storm lasted 6.0 days and travelled about 1,295 miles (2,083 km).

02 · Intensity

Wind and pressure, hour by hour

Maximum sustained wind (mph) — hover or drag to scrub the map

03 · Impact

Landfall and cities in the path

Landfall (UTC)WhereStrengthPressure
November 17, 2020 · 04:00 UTC31 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, NicaraguaCat 4 144 mph922 mb

Closest approach to major cities

CityDistance to centerWhen (UTC)Storm strength then
Tegucigalpa, Honduras20 miNov 18 · 03:00 UTCTS 43 mph
San Salvador, El Salvador13 miNov 18 · 12:00 UTCTD 29 mph
Soyapango, El Salvador9 miNov 18 · 12:00 UTCTD 29 mph

Distance from the city to the storm’s center, interpolated hourly between official fixes. Damaging winds, surge and rain reach far beyond the center.

04 · Timeline

Every official fix 26 positions

Date · UTCStatusWindPressurePositionNearest place
Nov 12 12:00TD low/wave29 mph1009 mb15.5°N 70.9°W184 mi SSE of Pedernales, Dominican Republic
Nov 12 18:00TD low/wave29 mph1009 mb15.3°N 71.9°Wopen ocean
Nov 13 00:00TD low/wave29 mph1008 mb15.0°N 72.7°Wopen ocean
Nov 13 06:00TD low/wave29 mph1007 mb14.7°N 73.3°Wopen ocean
Nov 13 12:00TD 35 mph1006 mb14.4°N 73.7°Wopen ocean
Nov 13 18:00TS 40 mph1005 mb14.0°N 74.1°Wopen ocean
Nov 14 00:00TS 40 mph1005 mb13.6°N 74.5°W164 mi N of Santa Marta, Colombia
Nov 14 06:00TS 40 mph1004 mb13.3°N 75.0°W152 mi NNW of Santa Marta, Colombia
Nov 14 12:00TS 46 mph1002 mb12.9°N 75.7°W147 mi NNW of Barranquilla, Colombia
Nov 14 18:00TS 52 mph997 mb12.5°N 76.4°W152 mi NW of Barranquilla, Colombia
Nov 15 00:00TS 63 mph992 mb12.6°N 76.7°W172 mi NW of Barranquilla, Colombia
Nov 15 06:00Cat 1 75 mph988 mb13.0°N 77.1°Wopen ocean
Nov 15 12:00Cat 1 81 mph982 mb13.1°N 78.0°Wopen ocean
Nov 15 18:00Cat 1 86 mph974 mb13.2°N 78.9°Wopen ocean
Nov 16 00:00Cat 2 104 mph961 mb13.2°N 79.8°W135 mi ENE of San Andrés, Colombia
Nov 16 06:00Cat 4 138 mph935 mb13.4°N 80.7°W88 mi NE of San Andrés, Colombia
Nov 16 12:00Cat 4 155 mph917 mb13.5°N 81.5°W65 mi NNE of San Andrés, Colombia
Nov 16 18:00Cat 4 150 mph918 mb13.5°N 82.3°W75 mi NNW of San Andrés, Colombia
Nov 17 00:00Cat 4 150 mph918 mb13.6°N 83.0°W40 mi SE of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Nov 17 04:00Cat 4 LANDFALL 144 mph922 mb13.6°N 83.5°W31 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Nov 17 06:00Cat 3 127 mph935 mb13.7°N 83.8°W36 mi SW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Nov 17 12:00Cat 1 86 mph965 mb13.7°N 84.7°Wnear Siuna, Nicaragua
Nov 17 18:00TS 63 mph988 mb13.7°N 85.7°W24 mi ENE of Quilalí, Nicaragua
Nov 18 00:00TS 46 mph1000 mb13.8°N 86.7°W11 mi WSW of El Paraíso, Honduras
Nov 18 06:00TS 40 mph1005 mb13.8°N 87.8°W14 mi NNE of Santa Rosa de Lima, El Salvador
Nov 18 12:00TD 29 mph1006 mb13.7°N 89.0°W9 mi E of Soyapango, El Salvador

⬇ Download track data (CSV) · public-domain NOAA best track

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Iota make landfall?

Iota made landfall once: 31 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua on November 17, 2020 at 04:00 UTC, as a Category 4 hurricane with 144 mph winds.

What category was Iota?

At its peak on November 16, 2020, Iota was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 km/h) and a central pressure of 917 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 4 hurricane.

How long did Iota last?

6.0 days, from November 12, 2020 to November 18, 2020, including 60 hours at hurricane strength (30 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 1,295 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Iota?

The 6-hourly positions, winds, pressure and wind radii are available as CSV on this page (track.csv) — they come from the NOAA National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database and are in the public domain.

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